From the launches of its Falcon 9 to the success of its first manned missions to the ISS, not to mention the first spectacular tests of its Starship prototypes, SpaceX has made enormous progress in this year 2020. And society has delighted us. The Falcon 9, a safe bet The pandemic context has slowe

From lunar and Martian explorations to the deployment of the James Webb Telescope, through the upcoming tests of the Starship and the SLS, the year 2021 promises to delight us . Here is a non-exhaustive list of the events that await us. Three Mars missions Every 26 months or so, when Earth and Mars

As part of a joint mission, NASA and the European Space Agency plan to bring back Martian rocks collected directly on site in the early 2030s. :search for traces of past life. Heres how NASA made sure these future samples wont be contaminated. July 20 marked the start of the long-awaited Mars 2020

The first stage of the Space Launch System (SLS), responsible for returning humans to the Moon, has just successfully passed a seventh and penultimate test. Further tests are also planned with the upper stage of this huge rocket over the next few months. Goal:to be ready for November 2021. The SLS

While we have just celebrated the 20th anniversary of the continuous human presence on board the ISS, the astronauts have again been busy this year. More than 400 km above our heads, they have in fact multiplied experiments in a micro-gravity environment, providing us with valuable information tha

More than 109,000 new craters have recently been identified in the low and mid-latitude regions of the Moon. All were spotted using artificial intelligence powered by data collected by Chinese orbiters. Lunar impact craters, formed during meteor strikes, can be thought of as fossils recording the h

A team of astronomers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC) recently identified 591 new hyperspeed stars. Their work, led by Dr. Li Yinbi, is published in the issue of The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series from December 17. Most stars in the Milky Way behave predictably, orbiting the ga

As everyone knows, NASA plans to set foot on the Moon as early as 2024 as part of its Artemis program. However, some experts consider this deadline too ambitious. New President-elect Joe Biden may soon loosen that timeline, and give the U.S. agency an extra year or two to achieve that goal. In 2017

Elon Musk plans to begin the first tests of these Falcon Heavy boosters as early as 2021. As a reminder, it is these structures that will ultimately make it possible to propel Starship ships into space from Earth. But how do you go about getting them back? Elon Musk created SpaceX in 2002 with a c

Perseverance could be the one that will guarantee us the existence of an extraterrestrial life form in the Universe. To carry out his mission, he will have to cover a lot of ground, but also sometimes manage on his own. How do you actually drive a rover on Mars? In less than two months , NASAs new

The Governor of Puerto Rico supports the reconstruction of the recently collapsed Arecibo radio telescope. To this end, she offers a small envelope. However, a final decision on whether and how to rebuild this giant telescope could take years and cost far more. Could the famous Arecibo radio telesc

Alcohol is part of human morality, there is no doubt about it. In some societies, it is even a real part of the culture. Nevertheless, on board the International Space Station (ISS), there is no question of consuming the slightest drop of any alcoholic beverage. At least in theory. Some astronauts h

The Chinese mission Tianwen-1 is due to enter Mars orbit on February 10, before attempting a landing in May. If successful, the surface of the Red Planet will no longer be exclusively American territory. On July 28, China launched its long-awaited Tianwen-1 mission to Mars. It is planned to place a

Two new exploration missions recently unveiled will aim to improve our understanding of the complex interactions between the Earth and the Sun. The goal:to better predict space weather that could threaten our planet. Understanding the physics that power wind and solar outbursts, including flares an

The main Chinese space contractor is targeting more than forty orbital launches for this year 2021. Among these notable missions will be the launch of a first module of the future Chinese space station, but also manned flights. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) announces

The European Space Agency has just released the latest data from its Gaia mission, detailing the physical characteristics and positioning of nearly 1.8 billion stars in our galaxy. The movements of stellar sources in the periphery also bear witness to the Milky Ways turbulent past. A map of the Mil

Over the past few months, the nature of a mysterious object of reduced size has raised many questions. It must be said that his trajectory is very surprising. According to the researchers, it is not a small asteroid or a mini-moon, but rather space debris. A mysterious object that fueled the debate

Space Perspective, which plans to offer balloon trips to the stratosphere, has just raised seven million dollars (5.77 million euros) with the aim to continue the development of his project. The start-up will also offer a first test flight next year. For several years, the space tourism sector has

This Saturday, SpaceX successfully launched a new cargo mission to the International Space Station. For the occasion, the company has deployed a new version of its Crew Dragon capsule. It is also the first time that two of these vessels have docked with the ISS. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off

Next December 21, Jupiter and Saturn will appear from Earth closer to each other than they have been since the Middle Ages. This is the perfect opportunity to get out the telescopes, of course, but also to focus on the larger of these two giants. What is Jupiter made of? A gigantic ball of gas Jupi